Last Updated on March 9, 2025 by pg@petergamma.org
Matthieu Ricard is a Buddhist monk with a PhD in cellular genetics. On Swiss television he described his path from scientist to Buddhist monk.
But is Matthieu Ricard’s path also feasible for simple scientists like Peter Gamma from www.petergamma.org in Switzerland?
Milarepa found an end to his suffering in his cave:
And Milarepa became the Tibetans’ most famous author and a major figure in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. But according to the video above, Milarepa’s successors founded monasteries and lived there.
Monasteries in Switzerland, for example, such as the Frauenthal monastery, are often financed by foundations:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kloster_Frauenthal
One of Matthieu Ricard’s teachers was Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche lived in solitary retreat for a very long time. From 15 to 28 years.
That is 13 years as a young man. Was he enlightened after that time? He was so happy in his retreat that he wanted to spend the rest of his life there. But who funds such long-term meditators in solitary retreat?
Rich families like those of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Matthieu Ricard, or the family of Niklaus von der Flüe?
But which molecular biologist preaches to other scientists on Swiss television, such as Peter Gamma from www.petergamma.org, about a path that is only possible for the wealthy?
Someone who comes from a wealthy family and is looking for high sales of his books?
Isn’t it interesting for scientists when Buddhist teachers claim that it is possible to train to be happy? But as far as we know, that takes about 13 years or more of full-time training. And even if it takes that long, wouldn’t it still be interesting to do research on the phenomenon?
But that work hasn’t been done 20 years after Richard Davidson’s PNAS paper from 2004:
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0407401101
Richard Davidson says that this study was confirmed by a second group of researchers. But Rob ter Horst also says this about his smartwatch – accuracy tests on YouTube. Another person tested Rob’s watches? And tweaked them until the data looked good?
Isn’t that the most plausible explanation when you look at scientific publications about sports watches?
And what about the paper “Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice” by Antoine Lutz, Lawrence L. Greischar, Nancy B. Rawlings, Matthieu Ricard, and Richard J. Davidson?
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0407401101
Did these scientists also tinker with the data until it looked good?
Such studies with Buddhist monks are very complex. Who can confirm or even refute such studies?
Jack Kornfield was called a fraud on reddit
because his courses are very expensive: Jack Kornfield is a fraud, but what about Antoine Lutz, Lawrence L. Greischar, Nancy B. Rawlings, Matthieu Ricard, and Richard J. Davidson? Are they also fraudsters? What is your opinion about this topic? Write it in the comments.
The idea for this study came from the Dalai Lama on the 14th.
And Peter Gamma from www.petergamma.org also finds this idea interesting. But after more than 20 years of research out of personal interest, he comes to the conclusion that studies on Buddhist monks would be interesting if you observed them over a long period of time. Those who have 12 or more years of full-time training behind them. And not the studies of those who after studying molecular biology, travel to Asia to write bestsellers about Buddhism. And is much of what Matthieu Richard wrote really new?
And isn’t it similar with Richard Davidson and his book “Altered Traits”?
Is this book primarily of interest to publishers who are looking for high sales? Or is it also of interest to scientists interested in mental health? What is your opinion? Write it in the comments.